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Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—it doesn’t have to be a recipe. If you just want to post photos of your lettuce seed packets, that’ll do just fine.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post and join us through Mr. Linky.Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:
Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.Please note: I return when possible during the day and update this post by hand to include a list of the links provided via Mr. Linky. If I can’t get to the computer to do so, you may access them all by clicking on the Mister Linky logo.
Food on Fridays Participants
Food on Fridays with Ann
A few weeks ago I wrote about Lenten Lentils for Food on Fridays. My friend Linda and I were talking about the honey-baked lentils recipe I posted that day from the More-with-Less cookbook. I made a batch recently and devoured them. But she couldn’t say enough about the More-with-Less Lentil-Barley Stew recipe. Her enthusiastic recommendation convinced me to try it.
As I was cooking the lentils with the sauteed celery and onion, it wasn’t looking super appetizing.
But I still had things to add, like the barley, tomatoes and spices (picture doesn’t include everything).
It started looking better as the barley began to cook.
I let it simmer for quite some time. As you can see from the recipe, it cooks for 45-60 minutes. I actually ran some errands. When I came back home to check on the lentils…
I dipped into a pot of thick, nourishing stew.When it was in the soup-stage, I was not overly impressed.In the stew-stage, however, I’m lovin’ it. Unfortunately, my kids aren’t lovin’ it. They don’t share our love of lentils at all.One of my daughters still gags on mashed potatoes and refuses to choke down more than one single pea. On the rare occasions we insist she ingest one single pea or one spoonful of mashed potatoes, she washes it down (after a weepy 20-minute delay) with an eight-ounce glass of milk. I won’t tell you how old she is; suffice it to say she’s definitely old enough to eat one pea or tablespoonful of mashed potatoes without a fuss. Anyway, after many years of these struggles, I didn’t even bother asking her to swallow a lentil. While the Belgian Wonder and I each enjoyed a generous serving of Lentil-Barley Stew (and packed some for tomorrow’s lunches), the kids defaulted to Leila’s Mac-n-Cheese. Yes, I caved. But at least it was effortless to throw together their alternative, thanks to Leila’s mac-n-cheese virtual mentoring.Enjoy the lentils.And if you don’t enjoy the lentils, enjoy the mac-n-cheese.
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Wow, I can’t believe I’m first! Sorry I’ve missed the last few weeks. Glad you are still hosting! Thanks!
~Liz
Glad to see you here again, fellow Hoosier!
My family are not big on lentils either sadly. The stew sure looks good though – and I love barley so maybe I can adapt it somehow using the meat option 🙂 Thanks for hosting.
They were great at lunch–so filling! If you try the meat alternative and think of it, could you drop in and let me know what you think?
I have not made Lentil Stew for years. Thanks for the beautiful visuals and encouragement. Our daughter would only eat a small sliver of papaya this morning. She said she didn’t like the texture. So relieved to know your children occasionally fuss also.
I’ve never taken to peaches with that fuzzy skin.
I just can’t understand the mashed potato thing with this child of mine. I mean, I can understand not exactly loving them, but actually gagging? This person is not a five-year-old, as you know.
I see that my mom has commented (see LynnHopper below), so I guess I’ll have to humbly reflect on my own tearful picky-eater moments….
Can’t wait to try this. It looks very good, and I am a soup lover.
Do you like it thick? This really cooked down and thickened up from a soup to a thick, thick stew. I like that, though. It’s super filling and satisfying.
Oh, the stories I could tell! Some of them about my OWN children….but then again, some of my siblings might say the same about me in days of yore….
Okay, so those who don’t realize it, Lynn Hopper is my MOM. And I was a picky eater, too.
Mom, you probably remember those tearful pea-staring moments better than I do. I know mushrooms were a nightmare (now I LOVE them). And I probably didn’t do well with vegetables. Go ahead and dish it out. Maybe I’ll end up with some material for another Food on Fridays post!
My daughters actually like lentils, but the only way I can get them to eat them is in dahl. Although I try soups and stews on them all the time. Look like it’s time for a new recipe. Thanks, I’m going to try this one.
Did you post the dahl recipe above? I’ve got to learn some more lentil variations! So glad to meet you here.
To be fair, both you AND your brother were mildly picker eaters each. My problem when you were young was that you didn’t like/dislike the same things. So each meal had to be a delicate balance. I guess I should have been tougher, but as my friend Jean says, you have to pick your fights.
I knew the retro-style print of the recipe from the More-With-Less cookbook before I even read the words of your post: what a fun surprise! I’ve made those sweet-and-sour lentils many times but have never tried the lentil barley stew. Thanks for the inspiration to attempt something new.
I just found out about you and your weekly carnival via Aubree’s link. I linked up a bread pudding recipe that can also be made gluten free and/or dairy free. It’s so funny that I should come here and see the More with Less cookbook mentioned. I have my copy on the sofa beside me. I was planning to look through it for some “new” ideas. 😉 I also have her Living More with Less book out.
Thanks!
Shirley